Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:16:44 — 17.6MB)
Subscribe: RSS
What does it mean to be “a statute forever” when the Tabernacle and Temple haven’t been standing in a long time? We are told that all the elements of the Tabernacle made after a pattern shown in Heaven. All the elements of the Tabernacle, including the garments of the High Priest reveal things about the returning Messiah.
The real role of the High Priest is a role that no human being can really fulfill, not even Aaron. This was not written for us to know what a human high priest is to wear but for us to understand the work of our real High Priest Yeshua.
Exodus 27 focuses on the Tabernacle, particularly the altar and the outer courtyard. The altar was about 7.5 wide, 7.5 feet long and 4.5 feet high. It was square-shaped and it wasn’t as large as you might imagine. It was made of bronze because it could withstand the intense heat of a sacrificial altar. There were four horns on the four corners. There were also four rings placed on the corners so poles could be inserted to move the altar from place to place.
This is how God wanted these items to be made. These were not written for the sake of “workplace safety” but to reveal a slice of heaven on earth.
The court area is about 50 yards long, which is about the length of half of a football field. That’s a lot of woven material.
God showed Moses the pattern but He also blessed certain people with the wisdom necessary to put the vision God gave Moses into reality.
There are, in a sense, two doors to enter the Tabernacle, which I found very interesting, just as the old letter for ב beit had two entrances.
Exodus 28, actually starting with Ex. 27:20, focuses on the job of the High Priest. The man who was called by God to be His first High Priest was a man named Aharon. What does his name mean? His name means ‘the light.’ He is the light-bringer. That is the function of the High Priest. He was to make sure the eternal flame kept burning. This has nothing to do with Lucifer, or haSatan. HaSatan has no place in the holy sanctuary.
This is an illustration of the function of our eternal High Priest, Yeshua.
How does the High Priest present himself? Moses is told,”You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.” (Ex. 28:2) Yeshua presents Himself before the Father with “glory and beauty.” Yeshua asked God in John 17 to glorify Him as He was in glory before He came to earth.
The Hebrew word glory is כָּבוֹד kavod (Strongs H3519b), which also means splendid, honored, abundant.
God does give people special gifts to certain people and He gives those gifts to those He wishes, whether they are in fellowship with us or not.
There were many women involved in making the Tabernacle. There were also several men appointed as general contractors to supervise the development all the components of the tabernacle, including the garments the priests were to wear.
The outfit of the High Priest with the turban, the breastplate, the ephod, even the linen britches have both a physical and spiritual lesson behind them, but in the time we have, we’ll focus our attention to the breastplate and ephod.
Ezek. 21:24 shows us how and why the Aaronic priesthood came to an end. It came to an end because they made their iniquity remembered, their transgressions uncovered.
When the tribes of Judah were exiled in Babylon, Babylonians didn’t just take the nobles like Daniel, but they also stole all the contents of the Tabernacle. 70 years later, a remnant returned, but there is no record of any High Priest returning with them. Ezra was a Levite but he was not of the high priestly line.
King Hezekiah ordered the High Priestly families to clean up the temple and clean themselves up and they refused so he recruited Levites to do it and they did the job well and it appears that God blessed that, even thought that was against the Torah.
Humans fall short all the time because we are flesh and blood. The real role of the High Priest is a role that no human being can really fulfill, not even Aaron. This is not written for us to know what a physical priest is to wear but for us to see what our real High Priest Yeshua is to do and to wear.
When we come to God, God has to tell us what to do. When Yeshua entered the Holy of Holies, and tore the veil, He died. He did not wear the golden bells and pomegranates. Yeshua did not wear the ephod or the turban. Yeshua had to die before we could ever hope to enter God’s holy presence.
Let’s take a closer look at the breast piece, at the 12 stones upon it. There were four rows of three stones in each row. One stone for one tribe of Israel. They were place in birth order.
- Ruby/Sardis: Reuben
- Topaz: Simeon
- Emerald: Levi
- Turquoise: Judah
- Sapphire: Dan
- Diamond: Naphtali
- Jacinth: Gad
- Agate: Asher
- Amethyst: Issachar
- Beryl: Zebulun
- Onyx: Joseph
- Jasper: Benjamin
There were two things in the pouch of the breastplate, Urim and Thummim. What was the judgement? The Urim was the light, each of the tribes of Israel were to be lights. That’s why the word is a plural word. The Thummim represents complete perfection, like “Be ye perfect as your father is perfect.” Yeshua presents light and complete perfection before the Father. This is what Yeshua wears when He comes before the Father.
Why did the Father have the Tabernacle built in the first place? Why does He call you? He doesn’t call the strong but the weak.
We were not able to see the Father when all these veils and barriers were in place but now that Yeshua has removed those barriers, we can come to the Father because of Yeshua. We can come to the Father because of what Yeshua suffered.
Reader: Jeff. Speaker: Richard Agee. Summary: Tammy.